Alternative input drives on housing of gearbox for tools rotating about vertical axes

ABSTRACT

An agricultural machine with tools adapted to rotate around vertical axis. The tools are carried by shafts located in a housing enclosing intermeshing gear means for driving the shafts by driving one of them only, apertures closable by covers being provided on the faces of the housing for the passage of a driving shaft.

United States Patent [1 1 Berdrin 1 Jan. 30, 1973 [54] ALTERNATIVE INPUTDRIVES ON HOUSING OF GEARBOX FOR TOOLS ROTATING ABOUT VERTICAL AXESAlbert Berdrin, 119 Avenue de General-Leclerc, Paris, France Filed: Oct.7, 1970 Appl. No.: 78,692

lnventor:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 10, 1969 France ..6934671U.S.Cl. ..172/59,56/2, 56/ll.4, 74/665 M, 74/665 0,172/125 Int. Cl..A0ld 33/08, F16h 37/06 Field ofSearch ..l72/59,1l0,522,526, 245-246,172/250-254, 35, 125; 56/10, 8, 11.1-11.2, 295, 15.1,2, 11.4; 74/665 F,'665 H, 665 M, 665 L, 665 N, 665 Q; 198/203 References Cited UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 8/1948 Mulkey et al ..198/203 3,387,436 6/1968 Kasper..172/49 2,854,807 10/1958 Byler et al. ..56/295 3,367,425 2/1968 Heeren..172/59 2,978,858 4/1961 Moody ..56/295 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS6,714,826 5/1969 Netherlands ..172/59 6,715,977 5/1969 Netherlands..172/59 Primary Examiner-Robert E. Pulfrey Assistant Examiner-C. W.Hanor Attorney-Karl F. Ross [57] ABSTRACT An agricultural machine withtools adapted to rotate around vertical axis. The tools are carried byshafts located in a housing enclosing intermeshing gear means fordriving the shafts by driving one of them only, apertures closable bycovers being provided on the faces of the housing for the passage of adriving shaft.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 3 0 I975 SHEEI 1 OF 2ALTERNATIVE INPUT DRIVES ON HOUSING OF GEARBOX FOR TOOLS ROTATING ABOUTVERTICAL AXES FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention concernsmultiple-purpose agricultural machines.

It relates to machines which comprise a casing or housing carried,frequently by a three-point suspension, by a motor vehicle such as atractor, and which carry tools with substantially vertical parallel axesdriven througha power drive provided on the front side ofthe casing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Owing to the stresses to which the tools aresubjected, to the vertical arrangement of the tool-carrying shafts whichentails stresses, the reactions of which are difficult to absorb, theseagricultural machines have had, up to now, only comparatively restricteduses.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to open awider scope for the utilization of such agricultural machines, withrespect to the variety of tools which may be fixed on the working shaftsas well as to the ease in mounting the tools and to the adjustmentswhich may be made to avoid any looseness generating wear, vibrations,etc..

The machine is particularly sturdy and adapted to work under the hardconditions of agricultural labor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The following description, made by way ofexample, refers to the appended drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view in section below the upper wall;.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a working shaft device together with itsdrive and a tool carrier; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of part of FIG. 2.

SPECIFIC DESCRIPTION The machinecomprises a casing or housing 10 of ageneral parallelepipedal shape, which may be fixed by a three-pointsuspension onto a motor vehicle such as a tractor. The large walls ofthe casing are transverse to the direction of motion of the vehicle, andthe front face 11 includes four apertures 12 -12 which may be tightlysealed with covers, 13 -13., respectively, one of these apertures,chosen at will, allowing the passage of a driving shaft 14 journalled ina roller bearing assembly l and which may be driven at any one of thespeeds supplied by a gear-box, not shown, connected to the motor. At itsend which is inside the casing 10, the shaft 14 carries a bevel pinion16 which meshes with a bevel crown gear 17 with teeth 18, This crowngear is fixed by screws or bolts 18' to a cylindrical gear 19 with outercogs 20. In the condition shown in FIG. 1, it is the gear 19 which" isdriven by the shaft 14. It meshes through its outer teeth 20 with thegear 19 on one hand and with the gear 19 on the other hand, this lattermeshing with the gear 19 This gear 19,, is rigidly fixed to a bevel gear17., co-acting with a bevel pinion 22 at the end of a shaft 23 enteringthe casing through the rear side 24 via an aperture 25 provided in thislatter, the aperture being tightly sealed with a cover 26 to which isrigidly fixed a roller bearing assembly 27 journalling the shaft 23. Theother apertures -253 in the rear wall are tightly sealed with covers 28-28 The casing 10 is filled with oil.

The gear 19 is rigidly fixed to a working shaft 31 journalled in acylindrical support or sleeve 32 by means of two roller bearings 34 and35 with conical rollers, 36 and 37 respectively. The cylindrical support32 is rigidly fixed to a structure or skeleton member 33, or plate, aconical brace 56 being advantageously provided. The outer collar or race38 of the roller bearing 34 co-operates with a shoulder 39 on thecylindrical support or sleeve 32 and the outer collar or race 41 of theroller-bearing 35 co-operates with a shoulder 42 on the support. Theinner collars or race 43 and 44 are fixed on the shaft 31. The collar 44is held in position by a holding part or ring 68.

Co-operating with the shaft 31, a tool carrier 45 is fixed by means ofsplines 46 set into grooves 47 in the shaft 31. On its front side 48,the shaft 31 has a threaded bore 49 which co-operates with the threadedrod 50 of a bolt 51, the head of which bears against with a small plateor disk 52, itself abutting with the front side 53 of the tool-carrier45. One or several washers or liners, if needed, may be provided in thespace 54 provided between the interior face 55 of the disk 52 and thefront side 48 of the shaft 31.

The machine may carry as many tools as there are shafts 31, four innumber in the example.

All the tools are driven by the shaft 14 which is inserted in one of theopenings 12 according to the relative position with respect to thetractor which is desired for the apparatus.

One or several shafts such as are shown at 23 may, if so needed, driveother applicances.

Openings 61 and 62, tightly sealed by covers 63 and 64, may be providedon the small faces 65 and 66 of the casing 10. These apertures areintended for the passage of shafts, if necessary.

A tool is mounted by sliding the tool-carrier 45 onto the shaft 31, thenby placing the plate 52 in position and securing the connection with thebolt 51; the plate and the tool-carrier 45 being clamped together byscrewing the bolt 51, this ensures a playfree connection by means of theconical roller-bearings 34 and 35. One or several washers or shims areinterposed if necessary.

The tool is taken off in the reverse fashion.

Both operations may be performed by the farmer himself.

This playfree transmission is suitable to drive the most varied tools,one of which is diagrammed at 67; not only tools to work the soil butalso clearing tools, mowing tools, etc. can be used.

What is claimed is:

l. A transmission for an agricultural machine adapted to drive aplurality of tools, said transmission comprising:

a parallelepipedal housing having a plurality of walls including atleast one horizontal and at least one vertical wall defining theinterior of said housing;

a plurality of working shafts journaled in said horizontal wall forrotation about respective parallel vertical axes;

intermeshing gear means connecting said shafts and including a gearmounted on each of said shafts for rotation of all of said shafts uponrotation of one of said gears;

means on said shafts for selectively connecting agricultural toolsthereto below said horizontal wall, said one vertical wall beingprovided with a plurality of closable holes each substantiallyregistering with a respective one of said gears;

a bearing assembly registrable with a selected one of said holes andadapted to be fixed to said housing; and

a drive shaft journaled in said bearing assembly, ex-

tending through said one of said holes and carrying a pinion within saidhousing operatively connected with a corresponding one of said gears fordriving same.

a tool-carrying socket splined to at least one of said working shaftsbelow its sleeve; a threaded bore formed in the bottom of said workingshaft; a bolt threaded into said bore; and a retaining disk held by saidbolt against said socket.

1. A transmission for an agricultural machine adapted to drive aplurality of tools, said transmission comprising: a parallelepipedalhousing having a plurality of walls including at least one horizontaland at least one vertical wall defining the interior of said housing; aplurality of working shafts journaled in said horizontal wall forrotation about respective parallel vertical axes; intermeshing gearmeans connecting said shafts and including a gear mounted on each ofsaid shafts for rotation of all of said shafts upon rotation of one ofsaid gears; means on said shafts for selectively connecting agriculturaltools thereto below said horizontal wall, said one vertical wall beingprovided with a plurality of closable holes each substantiallyregistering with a respective one of said gears; a bearing assemblyregistrable with a selected one of said holes and adapted to be fixed tosaid housing; and a drive shaft journaled in said bearing assembly,extending through said one of said holes and carrying a pinion withinsaid housing operatively connected with a corresponding one of saidgears for driving same.
 1. A transmission for an agricultural machineadapted to drive a plurality of tools, said transmission comprising: aparallelepipedal housing having a plurality of walls including at leastone horizontal and at least one vertical wall defining the interior ofsaid housing; a plurality of working shafts journaled in said horizontalwall for rotation about respective parallel vertical axes; intermeshinggear means connecting said shafts and including a gear mounted on eachof said shafts for rotation of all of said shafts upon rotation of oneof said gears; means on said shafts for selectively connectingagricultural tools thereto below said horizontal wall, said one verticalwall being provided with a plurality of closable holes eachsubstantially registering with a respective one of said gears; a bearingassembly registrable with a selected one of said holes and adapted to befixed to said housing; and a drive shaft journaled in said bearingassembly, extending through said one of said holes and carrying a pinionwithin said housing operatively connected with a corresponding one ofsaid gears for driving same.